Mac Inside & Out · Activity Monitor & Storage · Lesson 4 of 5

Battery and Energy on a MacBook

Check your MacBook's battery, and make each charge last longer.

Checking battery health

A MacBook is an Apple laptop. Its battery slowly holds less charge as it gets older. That is normal for every laptop and phone battery.

To check it, click the Apple menu, then System Settings, then Battery in the sidebar. Next to Battery Health, click the Info button (the small "i").

You will see two things:

• Battery Condition: either Normal or Service Recommended.
• Maximum Capacity: how much charge the battery holds now, compared with when it was new. 100% is like new.

Service Recommended means the battery holds less charge than when it was new, or it isn't working normally. It is not an emergency. Apple says you can keep using the Mac until you get it checked. Apple, or a repair shop Apple has approved, can replace the battery.

Skip apps that claim to test your battery better than macOS. Apple says other battery apps may not be accurate.

In Battery settings, also look for Optimized Battery Charging. When it is on, your Mac learns when you usually unplug. If you leave it plugged in for a long time, it may hold the charge near 80% and finish charging just before you need it. This helps the battery last more years. You may see "Charging On Hold" in the battery menu. That is normal.

Low Power Mode and the Energy tab

Low Power Mode makes your Mac use less energy, so the battery lasts longer. The Mac may run a little slower while it is on.

Turn it on in System Settings, then Battery. You can usually choose when it runs: always, only on battery, or only when plugged in. On some Macs this is a menu called Energy Mode with a Low Power choice. Low Power Mode does not harm the battery or your files, and you can switch it off anytime.

It is a good choice for a long trip or a day away from your charger. On Windows, the same idea is called Energy saver.

If the battery drains fast, find out why. Open Activity Monitor and click the Energy tab. The Energy Impact column shows how much power each app uses right now. The 12 hr Power column shows the past 12 hours. Click a column title to sort and find the battery hogs.

A browser with lots of tabs, a video call or a game often lands near the top. Quitting apps you are not using helps. A dimmer screen helps too.

If the same app is always at the top of the Energy tab, check whether it has an update. A newer version may use less power. If you rarely use it, quitting it when you are done is enough.